On Pro Basketball: Jeff Hornacek Tries Being Tactful About the Triangle

“When you look at the triangle and look at what it can do, there are a lot of options,” he said. “There are a lot of things you can do. You can take pieces of it.”

He went on: “We’re going to do a lot of things from last year and some new things, and we’ll blend it so it gives us some more space.”

For one day at least, no one was dancing on the triangle’s grave. It must have been a disappointment to the team’s long-suffering fans, who were waiting for Hornacek to bust free from triangle purgatory now that Jackson was gone. But Hornacek, whom Jackson hired before the start of last season, was both tactful and evasive.

Hornacek did say he wanted the Knicks to play with more tempo. (“We want to try to get the ball up the court,” he said.) He did not rule out incorporating more of the plays he ran when he was coaching the Phoenix Suns. (“That’s possible,” he said.) He also stressed the importance of defense. Lest we forget, the Knicks were horrible defenders last season.

“We’ve got to play better defense, simple as that,” Hornacek said. “Our summer league has really been focused more on that, on really getting after guys. And when we get…